Has anyone here every played Vallee d'Obermann from Years of Pilgrimage by Liszt?

I am feeling pretty pathetic because I have been working extremely hard on this piece and I think my teacher is on the vurge of giving up on me with it

If I can't get the really tough spots down by the next time I see her I will probably have no choice but to give up and move on to something else, which is unfortunate becuase I really love the piece.

It really hit me hard because my hands are small (really small, can barely reach a ninth) which is part of the problems with me playing a lot of octaves in succession while keeping my hand in a steady frame. She gave me some exercises to do to help strenghten my hand frame as well as my pinky and thumb.

I guess I got upset becuase I don't like having physical limitations. It is hard enough having visual and hearing impairments, didn't think my small hands would be a pain in the butt too.

I am not a virtuoso all. In fact, I got rejected from the piano program at my graduate school (I am in the composition program which was probably a better fit for me anyway). But this was a piece she picked out for me that I just fell in love with and I swore that I would learn to play it well and comfortably or die trying. But she didn't seem so optmistic at my last lesson and I felt heartbroken when I left her studio.

So I have been intensifying my practicing (if that is possible) and hopefully something good will come out of it. Do me a favor and say a prayer that my hard work will pay off. I hate giving up, but God I need a serious miracle, she is a tough one to plase!

_________________Jennifer M. Castellano

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." --Henry Van Dyke

Don't give up, Jennifer. Maybe your teacher was just in an impatient mood last time. If you love the piece, then you should keep working on it. However, if your teacher feels that your time with him/her can be better utilized by moving onto something else, then so be it. There is so much other music out there to explore and you should take advantage of the help your teacher can offer regarding different repertoire. You can always keep practicing the first piece on your own and it will continue to improve - even though it may be only tiny improvements.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

If you really want to play this wonderful piece, then just keep doing it on yourself, and let the lessons deal with some other repertoire which does please the teacher. I do that all the time, there is absolutely no need for a teacher to agree with everything you do. One day you will surprise her with it.

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